Happy-Go-Lucky is a 2008 British comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh. The screenplay focuses on a cheerful and optimistic primary school teacher and her relationships with those around her. The film was well received by critics and resulted in a number of awards for Mike Leigh s direction and screenplay, lead actress Sally Hawkins s performance, and Eddie Marsan s performance in a supporting role.

Plot

Thirty years old and single, Pauline Poppy Cross shares a London flat with her best friend Zoe, a fellow teacher. Poppy is free-minded, high-spirited and kind-hearted. The film opens with Poppy trying to engage a shop employee in conversation. He ignores her, yet his icy demeanour does not bother her. She maintains her good mood even when she discovers her bicycle has been stolen. Her main concern is not getting a new one or finding the bicycle, but that she did not get a chance to say goodbye to it. This prompts her to decide to learn how to drive.

When Poppy takes driving lessons for the first time, her positive attitude contrasts starkly with her gloomy, intolerant and cynical driving instructor, Scott. He is emotionally repressed, has anger problems and becomes extremely agitated by Poppy s casual attitude towards driving. As Poppy gets to know him, it becomes evident that Scott believes in conspiracy theories. His beliefs are partly attributable to his racist and misogynistic views, which make it hard for him to get along with others. Scott seems to be angered by Poppy s sunny personality and what he perceives as a lack of responsibility and concern for driving safety. Scott is exceptionally irritated by Poppy s choice of footwear (a pair of high-heeled boots), which he feels compromises her ability to drive. From the outset, he feels Poppy does not take her lessons seriously and is careless.

Poppy, however, does have the capacity to be responsible. At school, Poppy observes one of her pupils bullying one of his classmates. Rather than becoming angry, she worries about him and takes the appropriate action. After speaking with her pupil, she comes to the correct conclusion that he is being abused at home. A social worker, Tim, is brought in to handle the boy s case. Through Tim and the pupil s interactions, the latter reveals that his mother s boyfriend has been beating him. Tim and Poppy begin dating.

Poppy, Zoe, and Poppy s younger sister, Suzy, go to visit another sister, Helen, who lives with her husband in Southend-on-Sea and is pregnant. Helen proves to be a very judgmental person and tells Poppy she needs to take life seriously , not get drunk every night and plan for the future. Poppy responds that she is happy with her life as it is. Helen tries to convince Poppy to be more responsible condescendingly telling her she is too childish, but Poppy insists that she is happy and ignores her advice.

Returning home, Poppy sees Scott standing across the street from her flat, and when she calls his name, he runs away. When she confronts him he insists he had been visiting his mother in Stevenage at the time she saw him. Scott later sees Poppy with her new boyfriend, Tim, and he becomes angry. During Poppy s subsequent driving lesson, Scott drives erratically while ranting about other drivers and society. When he gives Poppy the keys to his car, she tells him he is in no condition to give a driving lesson, and she will drive him home. Scott tries to get his keys back and physically attacks Poppy. She manages to escape his grasp, then in a long, rambling diatribe Scott accuses Poppy of trying to seduce him, revealing his romantic feelings for her. Using patience and understanding to teach him a lesson, Poppy waits until he has calmed down then gives the keys back, telling him this lesson will be their last.

The film ends with Poppy and Zoe together manoeuvering a rowing boat in Regent s Park, as Zoe advises Poppy she can t make everyone happy. Poppy cheerfully dismisses the advice, then takes a mobile call from Tim and asks him, Missing me already?

Cast

• Sally Hawkins as Pauline Poppy Cross
• Eddie Marsan as Scott
• Alexis Zegerman as Zoe
• Andrea Riseborough as Dawn
• Sinead Matthews as Alice
• Sylvestra Le Touzel as Heather
• Kate O Flynn as Suzy
• Joseph Kloska as Suzy s boyfriend
• Samuel Roukin as Tim
• Caroline Martin as Helen
• Oliver Maltman as Jamie
• Nonso Anozie as Ezra
• Karina Fernandez as Flamenco teacher

Production

The film is Mike Leigh s first film shot in the 2.35 aspect ratio anamorphic format. It was made and distributed with the assistance of National Lottery funding through the UK Film Council, with £1.2 million awarded to the production company, and a further £210,000 awarded to the film s UK distributor.

The film was shot on location in Camden Lock, Camden Market, Regent s Park, Stroud Green, Finsbury Park, Lambeth, and Tufnell Park in London and Southend-on-Sea in Essex.

In Behind the Wheel of Happy-Go-Lucky, a bonus feature on the DVD release of the film, director Leigh, cinematographer Dick Pope, and stars Sally Hawkins and Eddie Marsan discuss the logistics of filming the lengthy scenes in which Poppy is learning how to drive. Five miniature cameras were hidden throughout the vehicle, and at times Leigh was wedged on the floor behind the front seats. Although the actors were required to adhere to basic plot premises, a large percentage of their dialogue was improvised, forcing them to react to stimuli outside the car and interact in character while concentrating on their driving.

In Happy-in-Character, another DVD bonus feature, Leigh and the actors discuss how the director works with his cast one-on-one to help them fully create their characters before actual filming begins. Because Scott is such a troubled individual, Eddie Marsan thought he was preparing for a heavy drama, and it was not until he started working with Sally Hawkins that he realised how funny the film actually was.

The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and was shown at the Dublin Film Festival before going into theatrical release in the UK on 18 April 2008. It later was featured at the Telluride Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, the Athens Film Festival, the Mill Valley Film Festival, the Morelia Film Festival, the Chicago International Film Festival, the Warsaw International FilmFest, and the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 92% based on 159 reviews, with an average rating of 7.73/10. The critical consensus states that Mike Leigh s latest partially-improvised film is a light-hearted comedy with moments that bite, and features a brilliant star turn by Sally Hawkins. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 84, based on 34 reviews, indicating universal acclaim.

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated the film four out of five stars and said, Mike Leigh s trademarked cartoony dialogue, as ever lending a neo-Dickensian compression and intensity to the proceedings, is an acquired taste and I have gladly acquired it, though some haven t. I am not quite sure what I think about the big, final confrontation between Poppy and Scott. It is well-acted and composed, and Marsan is ferociously convincing, yet the episode is closed off a little too neatly, and Poppy seems eerily unaffected by this or anything else. The effect is a kind of odd and steely invulnerability: not unattractive exactly, but disconcerting. Hawkins plays it superbly though: exactly right for the part and utterly at ease with a role that is uniquely demanding. In the factory-farmed blandness of the movies, Happy-Go-Lucky has a strong, real taste.

Philip French of The Observer called the film as funny, serious, life-affirming and beautifully performed as anything Leigh has done, but with a lightness of touch only previously found in his Gilbert and Sullivan movie, Topsy-Turvy.

Manohla Dargis of the New York Times called the film so closely tuned to the pulse of communal life, to the rhythms of how people work, play and struggle together, it captures the larger picture along with the smaller. Like Poppy, the bright focus of this expansive, moving film, Mr. Leigh isn’t one to go it alone. Played by a glorious Sally Hawkins – a gurgling, burbling stream of gasps, giggles and words – Poppy . . . keeps moving forward and dancing and jumping and laughing and nodding her dark, delicate head as if she were agreeing not just with this or that friend but also with life itself. She s altogether charming or perhaps maddening – much depends on whether you wear rose-colored specs – recognizably human and every inch a calculated work of art.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times rated the film four stars and called Sally Hawkins a joy to behold. He added, This is Mike Leigh s funniest film since Life Is Sweet. Of course he hasn t ever made a completely funny film, and Happy-Go-Lucky has scenes that are not funny, not at all. There are always undercurrents and oddness.

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone rated the film 31⁄2 out of four stars and commented, Get ready for Sally Hawkins, a dynamo of an actress who will have her way with you in Happy-Go-Lucky, leaving you enchanted, enraged to the point of madness and utterly dazzled. No list of the year s best performances should be made without her. He added, In lesser hands, the film would go off the deep end into cheap theatrics. But Leigh . . . keeps the emotions in balance by keeping them real. There s something raw in Hawkins that wins our empathy for Poppy. Thanks to her, Happy-Go-Lucky is more than a movie, it s a gift.

Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle stated, The key to enjoying the film, a minor effort by Leigh, is warming up to Poppy. Her bubbly personality may be too much for some. She s like a walking, talking smiley face. Fortunately, as Leigh proved in Secrets & Lies and Vera Drake, he has a keen eye for actresses, and he has found in Sally Hawkins the consummate Poppy.

Time Out London observed You know you’re watching something both delightfully light-footed and acutely meaningful when Leigh moves so nimbly between scenes at Poppy s school, her flamenco class and her driving lessons . . . It s a funny film . . . and, crucially, it aches with truth.

Legacy

The name En-ra-ha, a driver safety teaching tool used repeatedly by Marsan s character, Scott, as a reminder for the driver to look in the car s mirrors, has become a catch phrase associated both with the film and with Marsan as an actor. During a lesson, Scott explains to Poppy that En-ra-ha is a fallen angel and refers to the all-seeing eye at the top of a golden triangle formed by a car s rearview mirror and side mirrors. Scott tells Poppy, You see. You remember. You will remember Enraha till the day you die and I would have done my job. The name En-ra-ha was invented by Marsan during his improvisational preparation for the film, inspired by a recording of the English occultist Aleister Crowley.

Top ten lists

The film was cited as one of the ten best films of 2008 by many critics, including Manohla Dargis, Stephen Holden, and A.O. Scott of the New York Times, Liam Lacey of The Globe and Mail, Ray Bennett of The Hollywood Reporter, Shawn Levy of The Oregonian, Carrie Rickey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, David Edelstein of New York, Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News, Kimberly Jones of The Austin Chronicle, Michael Sragow of The Baltimore Sun, Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post, Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly, Dennis Harvey of Variety, and Steve Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Also, Armond White of the New York Press named Happy Go Lucky the best film of 2008.

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Academy Awards	February 22, 2009	Best Original Screenplay	Mike Leigh	Nominated
Alliance of Women Film Journalists	15 December 2008	Best Film	Happy-Go-Lucky	Nominated
		Best Director	Mike Leigh	Nominated
		Best Actress	Sally Hawkins	Won
		Best Supporting Actor	Eddie Marsan	Nominated
		Best Original Screenplay	Mike Leigh	Nominated
		Best Ensemble Cast	Happy-Go-Lucky	Nominated
		Best Breakthrough Performance	Sally Hawkins	Won
Berlin International Film Festival	February 17, 2008	Golden Bear	Happy-Go-Lucky	Nominated
		Best Actress	Sally Hawkins	Won
Boston Society of Film Critics	December 13, 2008	Best Actress	Sally Hawkins	Won
		Best Screenplay	Mike Leigh	Runner-up
British Independent Film Awards	December 13, 2008	Best Actress	Sally Hawkins	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor	Eddie Marsan	Won
		Best Supporting Actress	Alexis Zegerman	Won
Chicago Film Critics Association	December 18, 2008	Best Actress	Sally Hawkins	Nominated
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association	December 17, 2008	Best Film	Happy-Go-Lucky	10th Place
		Best Actress	Sally Hawkins	3rd Place
		Best Supporting Actor	Eddie Marsan	3rd Place
Detroit Film Critics Society	15 December 2008	Best Actress	Sally Hawkins	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor	Eddie Marsan	Nominated
Golden Globe Awards	January 11, 2009	Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy	Happy-Go-Lucky	Nominated
		Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Sally Hawkins	Won
London Film Critics Circle	February 4, 2009	British Film of the Year	Happy-Go-Lucky	Nominated
		British Director of the Year	Mike Leigh	Nominated
		British Actress of the Year	Sally Hawkins	Nominated
		British Supporting Actor of the Year	Eddie Marsan	Won
		British Supporting Actress of the Year	Alexis Zegerman	Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association	December 9, 2008	Best Actress	Sally Hawkins	Won
		Best Supporting Actor	Eddie Marsan	Runner-up
		Best Screenplay	Mike Leigh	Won
New York Film Critics Circle	January 5, 2009	Best Director	Mike Leigh	Won
		Best Actress	Sally Hawkins	Won
New York Film Critics Online	December 15, 2008	Top 10 Films	Happy-Go-Lucky	Won
		Best Actress	Sally Hawkins	Won
Online Film Critics Society	January 19, 2009	Best Actress	Sally Hawkins	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor	Eddie Marsan	Nominated
San Francisco Film Critics Circle	December 15, 2008	Best Actress	Sally Hawkins	Won
Satellite Awards	December 14, 2008	Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy	Happy-Go-Lucky	Won
		Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy	Sally Hawkins	Won

Home media

The Region 1 DVD was released on 10 March 2009. It is in anamorphic widescreen format with an audio track in English and subtitles in English and Spanish. Bonus features include commentary by screenwriter/director Mike Leigh, Behind the Wheel of Happy-Go-Lucky, and Happy-in-Character.

Year	2008
ReleaseDate	2008-11-21
RuntimeMins	118
RuntimeStr	1h 58min
Plot	A look at a few chapters in the life of Poppy, a cheery, colorful, North London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her.
Awards	Nominated for 1 Oscar, 39 wins & 63 nominations total
Directors	Mike Leigh
Writers	Mike Leigh
Stars	Sally Hawkins, Alexis Zegerman, Samuel Roukin
Produced by	Simon Channing Williams, James Clayton, Gail Egan, David Garrett, Georgina Lowe, Duncan Reid, Tessa Ross
Music by	Gary Yershon
Cinematography by	Dick Pope
Film Editing by	Jim Clark
Casting By	Nina Gold
Production Design by	Mark Tildesley
Art Direction by	Patrick Rolfe, Denis Schnegg
Set Decoration by	Michelle Day
Costume Design by	Jacqueline Durran
Makeup Department	Christine Blundell, Chloe Meddings, Lesa Warrener, Chloe Meddings
Production Management	Danielle Brandon, Polly Duval, Fiona Morham, Linda A. Borgeson
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director	Abbie Browne, Chloe Chesterton, Melanie Heseltine, Serena Plunkett, Josh Robertson
Art Department	Bruce Barnes, Jon-Claude Bates, Andrea Bond, Gillian Campbell, Phil Claxton, Dan Crandon, Matt Danko, Quentin Davies, Arwel Evans, David Gray, Nadine Herrmann, Jason Htay, Ben Johnson, Katrina Mackay, Garry Moore, Lara Murray, Tim Powis, Kathryn Pyle, Ben Rai-Green, Ifan Ramage, Jody Raynes, Simon Scullion, Nick Thomas, Mick Treend, Paul Trend, Libby Uppington, Mark Wallis
Sound Department	Antony Bayman, Jason Canovas, Ben Collinson, Robert Farr, Les Fiddess, Tim Fraser, Simon Hewitt, Alex Hudd, Lionel Johnson, Lionel Johnson, Onofre Ortega, Martin Oswin, Mark Paterson, Steve Schwalbe, Alastair Sirkett, Nigel Stone, Andy Thompson, William Towers, Tom Barrow
Visual Effects by	Ben Bradley, Lorraine Johnson, Mitch Mitchell
Camera and Electrical Department	John Clark, Pearce Crowley, John Evans, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Stefan Kopec, Tom Lea, Simon Mein, Matthew Moffat, Gavin Ogden, Mike Parsons, Dick Pope, Terry Roberts, Gordon Segrove, Alex Stevenson, Colin Strachan, Neil Flaherty
Casting Department	Robert Sterne
Costume and Wardrobe Department	David Crossman, Holly Waddington, Tamsin Wright
Editorial Department	Greg Barrett, Stephen Bearman, Gavin Buckley, John Claude, Hanh Nguyen, Paul Shore, Rachael Watmough, Jo Dale, J.D. Funari, Lance Spindler
Location Management	Jonah Coombes, Hannah Lamb, Amy McCombe, Amie Tridgell, Josh Yudkin, Charlotte Wright
Music Department	Mat Bartram, Mark Berrow, Terry Davies, Calina De La Mare, Liz Edwards, Andrew Findon, Clare Finnimore, Andrew Glen, William Hawkes, Patrick Herrild, Tim Jones, Julian Leaper, Tim Lines, Rita Manning, John Parricelli, Colin Rae, George Robertson, Nina Robertson, Kleanthi Savidge, Mary Scully, Richard Simpson, Richard Skinner, Owen Slade, Sonia Slany, Gary Thomas, Derek Watkinson, Jonathan Williams
Script and Continuity Department	Heather Storr
Transportation Department	Paul Brosnan, Danny Brown, Simon Dennis, John Doran, Nigel Howard, Steve John, Mick Joslyn, Andy Levett, Martin Walsh, Dave Williams, David N. Williams
Additional Crew	Chris Allies, Rhona Alsworth, Pip Ayers, Daren Bailey, Debbie Banbury-Morley, Isabel Baquero, Nik Bower, Colin Burrows, Sally Caplan, Guillaume de Chalendar, Graham Easton, Will Evans, Karen Fayerty, Mark Fielding, Gretta Finer, Ellen Fraser, Paul Grindey, Oliver Hazell, Vince Holden, Nick Kay, Edith Kähler, Bek Leigh, Clem Leneghan, Jo Littlejohn, Andrew Matosich, Sarah McBryde, Justin Miller, Jane Moore, Tessa Morgan, Clive Noakes, Robert Norris, Kevin O Shea, Richard Philipps, Jonathan Rutter, Justin Savage, Nikki Thornhill, Peter Touche, Will Tyler, Sharyn Yau, Isabelle Duvoisin, Jérôme Jouneaux, Matthieu Rey, Helen Varty
Genres	Comedy, Drama, Romance
Companies	Film4, Ingenious Film Partners, Special Treats Production Company
Countries	UK
Languages	English
ContentRating	R
ImDbRating	7
ImDbRatingVotes	39666
MetacriticRating	84
Keywords	teacher,happiness,camden town london,london england,driving instructor